Now and Forever
Chapter 17
Christine smiled at Mike, who was pacing around the small exam room. A person would think that he was a first-time father, as nervous as he was. Christine knew the nervousness was more about her mental health and being strong enough to be pregnant and to have a baby.
Morning sickness was never her favorite and it seemed to be bad this pregnancy. She was also overly tired. Otherwise, she felt fine. She already had a small baby bump. Finally, a doctor and nurse came in and both gave Christine a bright smile.
"Hello, I am Doctor Susan Gregory and this is my nurse, Sandra." Dr. Gregory said.
"I'm Christine and this is my husband, Mike Slattery." Christine said. They shook both Dr. Gregory's and Sandra's hands and Christine settled on the bed.
"So, the admitting nurse advised you were experiencing some mild morning sickness and exhaustion?" Dr. Gregory asked.
"Yes. I've been drinking some peppermint tea at night before I go to bed and it helps with the morning sickness." Christine said.
"Good. As for the exhaustion, just rest. You are older this go round." Dr. Gregory said.
"Isn't this dangerous?" Mike asked.
"It can be…but, there are also plenty of older women that have completely healthy and happy pregnancies. Like most things, we just hear the horror stories. Besides, I would like to do the physical exam and internal ultrasound and go from there before we borrow trouble." Dr. Gregory said.
"Mike is concerned about me. I attempted suicide just over three months ago. I am happier than I've been in a long time, am going to my counseling appointments and feel hopeful about this pregnancy." Christine explained.
"I see. Are you on any antidepressants?" Dr. Gregory asked.
"No. I never took them. Refused them, even when I was on my psych hold." Christine answered.
"Good. I was going to tell you if you were, you had to stop. The thing I suppose I need to communicate here is that if you feel overwhelmed by something, you need to reach out for help. Pregnancy can be stressful but it can also be joyous after so much trauma." Dr. Gregory explained.
"I understand." Christine answered. She nodded over at Mike, knowing it really didn't help his nerves.
"Alright, let's get started. Maybe this will help some?" Dr. Gregory answered. Christine nodded and sat back on the exam table. Sandra helped her place her feet in the stirrups and Mike grabbed her hand, seemingly knowing that the procedure was uncomfortable.
A half hour later, they had an ultrasound photo of a perfectly developing baby. Christine could tell Mike was slightly relieved at that news, but he was still fairly nervous. She just wasn't sure how to make that better. She wanted a joyous pregnancy and wanted it be joyous for Mike as well.
Due to morning sickness, the girls already knew about the baby and so Christine put the ultrasound photo on the fridge so they could see it. Of course, it was much too early to know the gender but at least the baby was doing well. Mike had disappeared into the backyard to do some work and to probably collect his thoughts.